Sindlesham SAGA

A SAGA day held at the home of the Wargames Association of Reading.

8 players (mostly called Richard or Rick!!) took part in 2 scenario games with 6pts Warbands and a final four way Feast of Crows with 4pts to decide who was the Warlord of the day.

The Warbands fighting it out where made up of: Normans, Bretons, Vikings, Welsh, Anglo Danes, Skraelings and Anglo Saxons.

Here is my brief SAGA report using Bretons.

Game 1 vs Richard Oates - Vikings (Theoden the Orange)
Clash of Warlords Scenario.

Morvan the Breton Warlord has arrived in the countyside surrounding the Welsh border, whilst patrolling from his Keep he and his band of warriors have come across a marauding band of desperate Vikings.

Viking Battle Line

Bretons deploy

Morvan and his retinue charge towards the advancing pagans and cause numerous casualties.

Bretons charge and Flank the Vikings

Theoden makes for the highground and his Berserkers charge into a hail of javelins, which wipe them out, but the Viking numbers force the Bretons backwards. The Breton Hearthguard charge into the Viking Levy on the flank and nearly destroy them to a man.

Theoden makes for the high ground

Morvans Warriors march backwards away from Theoden the Orange, enraged the Viking Warlord charges them with his Hirdmen. After a the clash of steel and the screams of the dying have faded, the Hirdmen have been decimated and Theoden is left stranded

Theoden attacks and wipes out some Breton Warriors

Even though stranded Theoden attacks the warriors causing much death and forcing the survivors to flee. Morvan and his mounted Hearthguard continue their ravaging flank attack,slamming into more Viking Levy and finally causing a massacre with the Bondi.

But succumbs to more warriors who seal his fate

In the final moves of the battle, massivly outnumbered, Theoden seeing his fate before him screams defiance and attacks the remaining Breton warriors. But falling in the mud, blood and mire of the previous charge he stumbles and is uncerimoniously dispatched. Leaving Morvan and his Bretons victors on the field.

Game 2 vs Jason - Welsh (Gryffd ap Morag)

Challenge Scenario.

Whilst patrolling the Malvern Hills from his Keep, Morvan has encountered a Welsh Raiding party. Riding out from his troops he issues a challenge which the leader of the Welsh Gryffd readily accepts.

Welsh Deploy

              Morvan           Warlords Challenge               Gryffd

Breton Battle line

Both Warlords face off across the Malvern Hills. Morvan gets his warband to move in all driections and hs mounted Hearthguard come storming to his aid. Gryffd is left stranded as his foot troops cant reach him in time. Morvan backed by his personal guard hammer into Gryffd causing him some serious wounds and forcing him to flee back to his lines.

Bretons right flank Welsh

Morvan leads his warband in a flanking manouver which Gryffd counters with some Welsh warriors. The Welsh unit is defeated but not destroyed. The whole of the Breton line smash into the survivors but could not wipe out the last remaining sneaky Welsh warrior.

Bretons attack from all directions

The Bretons attack from all directions, catching Welsh units in the flank and rear. Morvan charges straight up the hill towards Gryffd but more Welsh warriors block his path whilst Gryffd disengages and retreats back towards the border.

Finally the strength of the Bretons overwhelm the Welsh and their units are slaughtered one by one. The survivors retreat and sell their lives dearly so gryffd can escape into the gloom as darkness falls over the battlefield. Breton victory but the Welsh Warlord survives the encounter.

Game 3 vs Richard Oats (again) - Vikings (Theoden Vald) Rich J - Skraelings (Two dogs rutting) and Richard Smith - Anglo Danes (Eowics)

Feast of Crows 4 way Scenario.

Final game was a 4 way Feast of Crows, where everyone keeps the casulaties they caused to the other Warbands and victory points are added up at the end. Everyone rolled for depolyment and started off in opposing corners and then rolled to see who went first. This was done every turn and could lead to some interesting turns.

Viking Deployement

Skraeling Deployment

Anglo Dane Deployement

Breton Deployment

After deployment rolls were made for initiative and for the first three turns the Skraelings and Anglo Danes just continued to manouver, whilst my Bretons charged straight forward to contact Richard Oates Vikings (again) After a couple of very bad turns for the Vikings they where completely wiped out!



Whole Breton force against remaining Vikings

Theoden Vald meets his ancestors in Valhalla

Whilst the Bretons were merrily slaughtering the pagan invaders, Rich J's Skraelings finally made a move on the Anglo Danes, unfortunately after a minor success with their javelins the fragility of the Skraelings showed through and they started to crumble.



Skraelings War Party

Whilst Rich J was momentarily distracted by the Anglo Danes the Bretons sweeped into the woods and their rear, hoping to catch both warbands by suprise.

Bretons to the right, Bretons to the Rear!

A few more deadly turns and whilst Skraeling and Anglo Dane where hitting each other hard the Bretons stormed in and put Eowics the Anglo Dane Warlord to the sword!

Eowics Defeated

So after 3 superb games against some very sporting opponents the Bretons were undefeated on the field and came away as overall winners of the Sindlesham SAGA. I won a nice new copy of Northern Fury and it was a cracking day. Overall I was suitably happy with the Bretons and the character I had taken for the day. As a new faction that I had no experience with I was a bit apprehensive but I basically played them like fast armoured Welsh and that seemed to work.

Looking forward to the next SAGA day, wherever and yet again Ill take another faction.